Photo: Norbert Eder via Flickr
A growing number of reporters are taking another look at adverse childhood experiences when it comes to health in both children and adults.
Such events, known as ACEs, are getting the attention of local and national leaders as well as health care professionals looking for other ways to tackle patient’s ailments beyond the exam room. Continue reading
Photo: Pia Christensen/AHCJSt. Petersburg-based pediatric psychiatrist Mark Cavitt said that the effects of chronic stress are more likely for those exposed to a greater number of adverse childhood events.
Science is increasingly clear that constant exposure to stress in youth affects their bodies in ways that alters their brains and changes their response systems, especially younger children exposed more challenges, experts told attendees of a Health Journalism 2017 panel in Orlando.
Panelists noted that stress, even in young children, can be good. It helps spark protective reactions to protect the body from harm – say, crossing a busy street. But studies have shown the constant bombardment of stressful situations in kids can have a serious, cumulative impact. Continue reading
Health care reporters coming to Health Journalism 2017 in search of story ideas on covering health gaps and the social constructs behind them have a host of panels to choose from while in Orlando.
On the issue of costs, Saturday morning’s session on “Bending the Cost Curve: The Social Determinants of Health” will look at how tackling social determinants of health can help lower costs and improve health, particularly when it comes to health care systems such as hospitals and other networks. Continue reading
Donald J. Trump
Donald Trump became the oldest person to take the presidential oath of office of Jan. 20. At age 70, he’s older by one year than Ronald Reagan was when sworn in.
As we know from before and after photos of former presidents, it’s a stressful job that causes visible and invisible signs of aging. Should we be concerned about Trump’s age and the effects of the job on his health? Continue reading
Brie Zeltner
Brie Zeltner has been covering northeast Ohio’s health care industry for more than eight years at The (Cleveland, Ohio) Plain Dealer. But earlier this year her work garnered fresh attention when she became the inaugural winner of the Urban Health Journalism Prize.
Her 2014 piece took a deep dive into the effects of poverty on children’s health in the city. She combed several databases to create a critical snapshot of poverty and its impact on births, asthma, behavior and stress, among other health issues. She also took a closer look at local efforts and programs aimed at mediating the impact and addressing the city’s health gaps among its youngest residents.
Read our conversation with Zeltner about how she went about pulling together her award-winning piece.
The idea that chronic stress can change how your body and brain work fascinated Dan Gorenstein, a radio reporter at Marketplace, and it sparked the idea for an affecting, memorable piece about poverty and health.
The report pivots on the story of a woman with a troubled past and a painful confession. How did Gorenstein find her, and persuade her to go public? How did he balance her interests with his potentially conflicting interest in pursuing a good story?
The piece also distills a lot of complicated research about chronic stress, decision making and health. But it remains a tight, fast-moving narrative. I talked to Gorenstein and got the inside story on how he did the reporting.